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Walnut Flour – made from Whole Nuts

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As you scroll through my recipes and those created by other chefs, you might see some of these phrases in recipes; 1 cup of pecan meal or 1 cup of pecan flour. They typically mean the same thing. If you are ever in doubt, always reach out to the recipe designer and ask them to clarify.

ground-walnuts-in-a-bowl-800

You can easily create your own walnut flour (meal). Remove the lid of your food processor, add walnuts, close lid, and process!  Ok, there are a few other steps and tips that I want to share, but basically, that is all that there is to it. There is, however, a step that I highly recommend, and that is soaking and dehydrating the walnuts first. Please click (here) to read how and why.

Walnut Crumbles

Walnut crumbles are really what it ought to be referred to because the truth is… walnuts really don’t break down to the consistency of flour (as you might be familiar with).  The reason is that they are composed predominantly of fat.

Come back here…  don’t let fat content scare you away. These large, buttery flavored nuts are rich in numerous vitamins and minerals are known for promoting various aspects of health. Just 1/4 cup of walnuts provides more than 100 % of the daily recommended value of plant-based omega-3 fats, along with high amounts of copper, manganese, molybdenum, and biotin. According to Dr. Weil, “The main known function of molybdenum in humans is to act as a catalyst for enzymes and to help facilitate the breakdown of certain amino acids in the body.” Pretty importance stuff.

If you are looking for a way to create a finer grind of pecan flour,  that can be achieved through the process of creating walnut pulp.  Walnut pulp is produced from making walnut milk. That is another whole process that we will dive into later.

word-of-caution

Keep a close eye on this process because if you over-process the walnuts, they will release too much of their oils and if that happens, you are heading to nut butter land. Should you get distracted while you are processing your nuts and they do indeed get too oily, don’t fret.  Go ahead and continue processing the walnuts, add a pinch of salt and sweetener (if desired) and make a healthy walnut nut butter.

When it comes to creating our own flour,  I recommend using a food processor that is fitted with an “S” blade. In a pinch, you can use a blender, but you have a greater chance it turning into a nut butter because there isn’t much room for the walnuts to freely spin in.  It is best to make these as needed, rather than pre-making them and having them sit around.  Nutrients will be lost over time. If you find that you processed too much, that’s ok… put it in a freezer-safe jar and store in the fridge, so the oils don’t go rancid.

Also, walnut flour has a distinctly walnut taste and will impart that into a recipe.  So keep in mind as you are building a flavor profile for a dish.

ground-walnuts-in-bowl-480Walnut Flour made from walnut pulp

To make the flour from pulp:

  1. Using an offset spatula, spread the pulp on a nonstick drying sheet on a dehydrator shelf.
  2. Dehydrate at 115 degrees (F) for up to 24 hours or until completely dry.
    • Dry times always vary depending on the climate, how thick you spread the pulp, how full the machine is, and so forth. So use this as a guideline.
  3. Once dry and cooled, transfer the dehydrated pulp to a food processor and grind to a flour.
  4. It won’t break down to a powdery flour texture but pretty darn close.
  5. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for longer shelf life.

Walnut Flour made from whole walnuts

To make the flour from whole walnuts:

  1. Soak and dehydrate the walnuts.
  2. Place walnuts in the food processor, fitted with an “S” blade,  and process until it reaches a small crumble.
    • This type of flour won’t break down to a powder, just small crumbles due to the fat content.
    • Be careful that you don’t over-process and start making walnut butter.
  3.  Try to make it only as needed, so it doesn’t go rancid if you make extra, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for longer shelf life.

9 thoughts on “Walnut Flour – made from Whole Nuts

  1. Michelle says:

    Do you have an almond source that is truly raw.
    I have stopped purchasing “raw almonds” particularly if they have been grown in the US.

    • amie-sue says:

      Good afternoon Michelle,

      Great question and one that has been a part of many heated (no pun intended) debates. Buying nuts locally that are truly raw has always been a difficult task for me so I always do my best, that is all I can ask of myself. I am pretty sure that I have purchased nuts that say raw on the package but in the end they really aren’t. It’s getting harder and harder to trust our sources. That being said, I have ordered my nuts from multiple places.

      Raw Food World
      Organic TRULY Raw Almonds 16oz – $15.95 a lb “These Almonds are TRULY Raw and Unpasteurized.”

      Nuts On Line
      Non-Pasteurized, Raw, Organic Almonds – $13.99 lb “Our raw organic almonds are just that–truly raw and non-pasteurized –and certified organic.” These come from Spain.

      I have always been happy with the product quality that I get from both places. I tend to get more orders through Nuts On Line. I am sure that there are many other sources but these are the two that I can comment on since I have had personal experience with them. If you have or find a source as well, please share!

  2. Kathleen Bryce says:

    When making almond milk do you soak the nuts first for several hours, and then just whip them up in the blender? If so then they are sprouted right. I need to make almond flour and I’m not sure if I should soak and sprout them and then dehydrate them before putting then in a vita mix or use a cusianart to turn the nut into flour. I do like your alternative of making the almond milk and then using the pulp for flour once dried in a dehydrator then pulverized with a food processor. Could I also use a vita mix to pulverized the dehydrated pulp? >

  3. Amber says:

    I read a book on how to make walnut butter, but after reading your site and seeing my results the book is completely wrong.
    What the book said and What I did…
    1. Chopped whole walnuts
    2. Processed them 3 second pulses x 30
    3. Spread on cookie sheet and put in oven at 200 degrees for 30 minutes… i have a wet flour like substance that won’t sift.
    I’m trying to make macarons, so you understand the texture of what I’m trying to obtain.
    I put a smaller amount of the wet flour on a baking sheet and trying to dry it out more. Is there anything I can do to fix this and get it to dry out more and make it more fine so I can sift it?

    • amie-sue says:

      Good morning Amber,

      Gosh, I am not familiar with creating nut flours that way. It will be difficult to get a nut flour to the point of being fine enough to sift. At least that is my experience. There may be nut flours commercially made that are that fine but they have been heavily processed.

      My guess is that due to the natural fats in walnuts… this will make it challenging to break it down that fine. What you are already trying is all I can suggest. Sorry that I don’t have a definitive answer for you. Blessings, amie sue

  4. Laluneaclaire says:

    How wonderful to have your creations in my kitchen amie-sue…
    Now I’m looking for your buttery walnut crackers but cannot find the recipe.
    Can you help me pleassssse.
    I’m on a simple diet trying to remedy my SIBO situation (Google it) and am eating out of your website everyday.
    My dehydrator is going around the clock!
    A thousand thank yous. I so appreciate your enthusiasm as I quite feel the same! And like your husband Bob, my husband eats everything I make for us!
    Blessed in BellaCoola, British Columbia Canada 🇨🇦

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